whhscbox.com The student news publication of Walnut Hills High School Wed., Feb. 19, 2020 Volume CXIV, Issue 7
ART ART IS IS KEY KEY ABIGAIL JAY / CHATTERBOX
Alexandra Franz, ‘23, works on a self portrait during her AP Studio Art class, using a selfie for reference. Franz worked in watercolor, which she developed as her specialty this year. “A lot of people think [watercolor is] hard, but there’s a wildness to it that is fun to try to tame that I really enjoy,” Franz said. Abigail Jay, ‘21 Alonzo Montgomery, ‘23
In the 2020 National Scholastic Art Competition, the WHHS Art Department had the best showing in WHHS history; eighty five student works received either a Gold Key award, Silver Key award or Honorable Mention at regionals. “The National Scholastic Art Awards are the highest award in national scholastics. It’s for superior artwork. Very few people get Golden Keys, some get Silver, and more get Honorable Mentions,” WHHS art teacher, Donald Stocker, said. The Scholastic Art Awards are a multimedia competition, which are separated into 17 categories based upon the submission’s medium. WHHS students won awards in eight of the 17 categories: Architecture & Industrial Design, Digital Art, Drawing & Illustration, Film & Animation, Mixed Media, Painting, Photography, Sculpture and Portfolio. Nineteen WHHS student submissions were awarded a Gold Key in the Regional Scholastic Art Awards, which were announced at the beginning of January. The regional awards included student artists from Southwest Ohio, Northern Kentucky and Southeastern Indiana. Of the 85 WHHS awards, one student stands out among the recipients: Alexandra Franz, ‘23. With her talent cultivated by her artist parents and the environment they created, Franz developed her art style and won a total of 21 awards and recognitions at the 2020 Regional Scholastic Art Awards com-
petition, including six Gold Key awards. Franz is no stranger to the Scholastic Art Awards, as she has submitted artwork for all three years she has been in the WHHS art program. As an seventh grader, she won 10 awards at the regional level. Then, as an eighth grader, she won 19. The 2020 Regional Scholastic Art awards are her best showing yet, and she’s only a freshman. Franz hopes to qualify for the Nationals of the Scholastic Art Awards, something she hasn’t been able to do in the past years. “It’s more about meeting a goal than it is about recognition for me,” Franz said. Beyond the Gold Keys, Silver Keys and Honorable Mentions, there is one more recognition that Franz received at the regional competition: American Visions Nominee. The American Visions Medal is the highest regional award, in which five works are nominated from the regional competition by local judges. A panel of jurors in New York City choose one work from each region to give the American Visions Medal. The nomination is an impressive and prestigious award in itself, but Franz didn’t even know it existed, let alone what it meant for her to be nominated. “I didn’t even think about it, so it’s sort of a nice surprise,” Franz said. Iris Andrews, ‘21, won an Honorable Mention for her piece “An Abandoned Fairy House.” She admitted that she had a little trouble in the start as far as inspiration. But as soon as she had her inspiration she knew where to go. “I did a piece of my friend Sarah, who
I took a picture of when she was a kid, and sort of turned her into a fairy,” Andrews said. With a similar magical theme, SENIOR Gabrielle Chiong won a Gold and two Silver Keys. The piece that was awarded Gold Key for was called “The Little Match,” and the two Silver Keys she got were for another piece called “Cinderella” and a portfolio named “A Satire on Classic Fairy Tales.” “It was a good feeling that I got an award
for doing art because I haven’t really gotten an award before,” Chiong said, “I just chose certain elements and tried to put them in a different sort of light that people don’t really like see in the usual tellings.” The turnout of recognition and awards for WHHS students at the Scholastic Art Awards seems to improve every year, and as the art department grows and expands, it’s exciting to see what our creative students will do next.
ABIGAIL JAY / CHATTERBOX
Eve Tryby, ‘21, admires her fellow artists’ works at the Art Academy of Cincinnati, where all of the awarded works of the Regional Scholastic Art Competition will be on exhibit until Feb. 21. Tryby herself was awarded a Silver Key award for her painting of a young Tony Hawk.
PEANUTS
FEBRUARY 19, 2020
WHHSCBOX.COM
SECTION EDITOR: KAYLEE ROBBINS
PAGE 2
CINCINNATI, OHIO
Junior high HALL of fame: Macen Hall Hajra Munir, ’23
Three sports, homework and balancing friends. These are all things that can become overwhelming if heart and soul are put into them. For Macen Hall, ‘24, taking stressful situations and making them easier for others is built into his DNA. Known as “ Tr i ple Threat Hall,” he has played multiple s p o r t s since seventh grade. Hall currently plays football and basketball and runs track. Hall hopes to continue to play sports in the future. Hall enjoys all three sports he is a part of but does have a preference. “My favorite sport would be football, but I’m better at track,” Hall said. In football, Hall plays wide receiver and safety. This past season, Hall’s team had a record of 5-2. Hall is fond of the feeling of playing football and always being on the field. “I got into football because my parents signed me up when I was four years old. The best thing about football is the intensity of the game and the passion everyone has put on the field going along with the hype,” Hall said. Inspired by football, Hall decided to give track a shot. “I got into track because when I played football we would have to take laps and I would always be the first person to finish and I would never be tired. So, I decided to try track and I turned out pretty good at it,” Hall said. Hall joined track in the fourth grade and has been improving on his skills ever since. “I decided to start track in the fourth grade and along with that I was in the top 5 in the
state my seventh grade year,” Hall said. “The best thing about track would be the adrenaline pumping through you at the final stretch of the race,” Hall said. Along with football and track, Hall is also part of the WHHS basketball team. “I started playing basketball in fourth grade as well because all my friends were playing it and I decided to give it a try,” Hall said. Hall’s basketball team currently has a record of 18-0 for this season. Hall’s position is a lockdown defender. Coach Don Louden, the head of the eighth grade boys, has known Hall for almost a year. Louden, w h o h a s o b -
served Ha l l ’ s effort and hard work he puts into the sport, thinks he is a very dedicated player and team mate. “[Macen] is always focused on working hard and the energy he brings to the court is what makes him a good player,”
Louden said. Hall serves as an example for his teammates with his determination and leadership skills. “He gives off a good energy that just inspires the whole team. Especially by just being at every practice and doing every drill with giving it his most. He always leads his teammates by example,” Louden said. Hall’s strong suit in basketball is defense. “His defense is his best quality as a player on the court. His defense is contagious for the rest of his teammates. He plays very well ‘on the ball defense’ and is good at getting rebounds,” Louden said. As an athlete, Hall exceeds in many aspects, but even off the field and court, H a l l has a radiant personalit y. “He is just a great and fantastic kid on and off the court,” Louden said. Hall is not just passionate about athletics. He is passionate about many other things that could take off in his future. “I am very passionate about animals and pos-
sibly want to become a veterinarian in the future,” Hall said. Hall knows there are struggles that come with being a student athlete. “Remember that if you’re a student athlete, student comes first,” Hall advised. Hall lives by a quote from Malcom X that inspires him with his everyday life with athletics and school, “When ‘I’ is replaced with ‘we’ even illness becomes wellness.” Hall may be busy with different sports and clubs, but he always has time to be a considerate friend to many. Xavier Wiles, ‘24, who has known Hall for a year thinks of him as a good leader as well. “Macen is a great leader and just really easy to talk to,” Wiles said. Ella Simpson, ‘24, has also been friends with Hall for almost a year now. “ Macen is really kind and funny. He always asks people how their day is and just always checks up on people,” Simpson said. Hall’s best friend, TJ Nelson, ‘24, has known him since kindergarten. “He is always there for me and a good person to talk to,” Nelson said. Hall and Nelson have been side by side on and off the court since they were kids. “I played with him in football in kindergarten and then again in seventh and eighth grade. And then we played basketball together this year,” Nelson said. Nelson is inspired by Hall as a friend and a teammate. “He is such a leader and his worth ethic of working hard pushes you to do better,” Nelson said. As a “triple threat,” Hall inspires other students to try their best in everything they do. PHOTOS COURTESY OF MACEN HALL, ‘24
Piper Peanut: On the drama Hello WHHS,
It’s me, Piper, back to talk to you about something that you may have experienced or heard about in your lives. Drama. I am going to be real with you guys, drama stinks. It is stupid and no one should be involved in it. Whether it is about you and a friend, a crush, or anyone you may have beef with, the best way to solve drama is to talk it out and get as few people involved in it as necessary. I know that sometimes if you, or another person, are mad at each other you don’t want to tell them directly how you feel because you either don’t want to apologize, or you
are afraid of what they may think. Of course, as Piper, I guess I have to give you real and helpful advice. In my life, when two people are fighting, I try to be there for my friend, but at the same time, know little information about the topic. If you don’t know stuff, you may be out of the loop, but at least you are not involved in the drama. When you get older, you will learn that drama is not worth all the problems it creates and you could seriously damage important and loving friendships. And now that I am so wise, I can tell you something even better, an unknown concept that people may not know, but that can help you avoid dra-
ma all together. Don’t have close friendships with dramatic people. Be kind to everyone, but don’t put energy into drama. If there is drama every week among your inner circle, some friendship is not worth all the stress and heartache. Of course, I am perfect and never have to deal with drama, so I would not know… Oh wait, yes I do. No matter what you may think, everyone experiences drama and that is okay. As a person, it is up to you to draw the line of when it is too much. Period.
KAYLEE ROBBINS/CHATTERBOX
Josie DeBruer, ‘24, and Jenesis Caffery, ‘24, meet every day at their lockers to discuss the latest news among E-flats.
Anyway, as always, love, Piper
The Chatterbox Policy Statement The Chatterbox has been guaranteed the right of freedom of the press through the First Amendment of the United States Constitution. The administration of Walnut Hills High School is thus bound to support and protect the Chatterbox’s inalienable rights as a free press. As an integral part of the Walnut Hills High School community, the Chatterbox has the responsibility to report in the most comprehensive and objective manner possible. Students,
parents, faculty, and administrators are encouraged to use this publication as a forum to express any ideas or concerns, whether they be personal or of local, national, or international scope. Journalists are required to work under established guidelines. Invasion of privacy as a means of news gathering is prohibited. Articles found to be discriminatory, libelous, or unnecessarily obscene (as determined by the editors or the advisor) will not be published. Finally, journalists are granted the right to keep private the name of
a source from whom they received information with the understanding that the source was to remain anonymous. The role of the newspaper advisor will be to provide counsel and criticism pertaining to the newspaper’s content and production. Although both the advisor and the administration hold certain powers regarding the Chatterbox, both must respect the paper’s autonomy. No student shall be prevented from joining the staff on the basis of sex, race, creed or national origin.
SARAH DAVIDOFF, ‘13
The Chatterbox Editorial Staff Caroline Horvath,
Isabel Nissley,
Editor-in-Chief
Deputy Editor-in-Chief
Abigail Jay, Managing Editor of News and Features
Alonna Johnson, Managing Editor of Student Life
Owen Cummings, Managing Editor of Viewpoints
Delaney Owens, Managing Editor of Visual Elements
Bobby Keegan, Managing Editor of Operations
Ryleigh Sanborn, Public Relations Manager
Samantha Gerwe-Perkins, Adviser
Brian Sweeney, English Department Chair
WHHSCBOX.COM
FEATURES
CINCINNATI, OHIO
FEBRUARY 19, 2020
PAGE 3
SECTION EDITORS: GAVIN KURSMAN
“Hey, Lady” In loving memory of Beth Ormsby Sofia Tollefson, ‘21 There are people that you meet throughout your life that shine so brightly it’s impossible to forget them. Someday, years in the future, you’ll remember them. And you’ll smile. You’ll remember all they did, how much they cared, how much they loved, and how much they impacted you. Beth Ormsby was one of those people. Elizabeth ‘Beth’ Ormsby was a vibrant, enthusiastic, tenacious person. She lived her life inspiring passion and compassion at every step. She always had a smile on her face. An unforgettable smile. This smile welcomed visitors like Ken Rudin and Howard Wilkinson to WHHS. This smile was paired with a “Hey, Lady” to her friends. This smile invited students into her classroom and encouraged them to participate. It encouraged them to care. Ormsby’s classroom had many crazy things hanging up--most will recall her life size Obama cardboard cutout or her rag dolls of Benjamin Franklin and George Washington--but English teacher Dawn Wolfe, remembers a little cutout of Ormsby on her door the most. It peeked out and smiled as if to say, “Oh hello! Welcome!” She loved teaching. It was a true calling for her, sharing her excitement of history with her students. “She started playing school when she was a little kid. She always wanted to be a teacher. She just wasn’t sure what kind,” English teacher, Barbara Stewart said. “She always used to say, ‘Well, the only reason I got into teaching was because of all the supplies.’ She loved office supplies and the perfect clip for one thing.” The Colonial Fair, an event where students dressed and acted as colonial figures, was a particular passion of Ormsby. “She loved colonial history and prerevolutionary history. That was her gig,” Stewart said. “When we worked with the Colonial Fair. We changed it and she brought a lot of different ideas to it. And made it more student centered--which was really awesome.” She wanted to teach a class about women’s history. “She was a very big believer in equality for everyone, regardless of age or race or gender,” psychology teacher, Kathy Noland, said. Wolfe agreed, “The class that she wanted to teach was about women in history. And I was excited. I wanted to sit down and [take it]. I just remember looking at drafts of her proposal and [thinking] ‘God, this is amazing.’”
Ormsby also worked to bring in journalists Ken Rudin and Howard Wilkinson as part of the Democracy and Me program for students. “What I love about Mrs. Ormsby, and I only knew her as Beth, [is that] she always smiled. She had such passion for what she did. She loved her kids and the kids loved her.” Rudin said. “It was infectious. And everytime I would come to Cincinnati and WHHS I would always think [about how] I would get to see Mrs. Ormsby.” Ormsby impacted every single person at WHHS. “She made us all better. I haven’t taught history in many years, but she made me a better teacher of psychology because I would listen to her questions and ideas in meetings we would have,” Noland explained. “Even though her content was different, I went to her all the time for advice. I would use her ideas in my classroom. So even if you’ve never had her, she has influenced your education in some way because she made the teachers around her better.”
Whoever she was talking to had her full attention. Whether it was a student, a teacher, or some other faculty member, she was completely focused on them. “She was very quick to share her appreciation of someone’s company. She was very quick to not only acknowledge someone, but you had her full attention,” Wolfe said. “She did not look away, she did not dismiss people. [You] always had her attention. It was a genuine interest in what someone had to say. When you talked to her, that was her focus. It was laser-like and she always let you know that she appreciated having you around.” Ormsby dressed in cute but comfy, practical clothes. “She always talked about being into casual. But she was always-I’m going to say this like a mom, cause she called me her school mom--she was always dressed so cute. Not too matchymatchy, just kind of perfect,” Stewart said. According to Wolfe, Ormsby had the best shoes. “She had the best style. [Her] haircut was awesome. She was darling,” Wolfe said. “She really didn’t give a rat’s rear end about what style [was in]. She just looked amazing. It was very, very genuine. She was so confident in who she was.” Her nails were always painted in fun themes, and she often got them done with fellow Walnut teachers, and friends, Laura Cotton and Emma Massie. “[She grew up] in Michigan, on a dairy farm. She loved it. She drove a tractor when she was little, and that’s how she learned to drive. She came to Cincinnati to go to Xavier. [But] she loved going back home. Loved her parents and all her family up there. She loved to ski. She loved being in Michigan. She loved snow,” Stewart said. Ask anyone what she was proudest of and in a heartbeat they’d respond, “her kids.” No question about it. She went to every game, jumping out of her lawn chair yelling “get ‘em!”. She cheered them on off the field too, sharing her enthusiasm for history and other school projects with them. “Her two boys are her pride and joy. And she has every reason to be so proud,” Wolfe said. Ormsby got excited about everything. Wolfe remembers “her grace, always. Her dancing at prom. Her getting really excited about the cool box on the minivan. It’s that minutiae that was so important.” “She was a challenger,” Noland said. “If she did not think something was right, then she would challenge the administrators or the school district or whatever. She had very high expectations not only of her students, but of the other faculty. She set the standard very high. And we all tried to live up to it.”
“Celebrate what she brought to everybody who met her and knew her. That’s what I’ll always think of [when] I think of her. That she celebrated her students and celebrated information and knowledge. And loved what she did,” - Ken Rudin
NEWS
FEBRUARY 19, 2020
PAGE 4
WHHSCBOX.COM
SECTION EDITOR: SHIV MALHOTRA
CINCINNATI, OHIO
Honoring a new project in Honors Mesgana Mekibib, ‘20
Throughout the Eight and Nine Honors program at WHHS, there are a multitude of projects that are done in an effort to encourage thinking outside the box. This year, a new project was included within the Nine Honors curriculum: the Genius Hour. This project is similar to an independent studies project, in which the students pick a topic they ei-
Be,” Brokamp said. She read the book over the summer and decided that “this is something that I really want to do with my kids.” Unlike some projects at WHHS, which have a set rubric with strict guidelines regarding what needs to be done in order to achieve a certain grade, the Genius Hour project is all about variety and uniqueness, and what makes an individual student shine.
“I want to kind of bring creativity back into the classroom, I want to create a kind of love for learning,” - Lisa Brokamp, Nine Honors Biology teacher ther love or want to change. The project is being done at different times for the two different Nine Honors sections. While the afternoon section is nearly finished with their projects, the morning section is just beginning to embark on their journey. The idea of the project first came from Lisa Brokamp, a Nine Honors Biology teacher for the morning section, as well as a teacher of Anatomy and Physiology. “I heard an interview on NPR first with a man that wrote a book called What Schools Could
“I want to kind of bring creativity back into the classroom, I want to create a kind of love for learning,” Brokamp said, regarding her reason why she initiated this idea. “It’s totally student driven, they choose their topic,” Barbara Stewart, a Nine Honors English teacher for the morning section, said. For example, topics could end up ranging from a passion for playing the guitar, blogging about conservation, creating an informational site, building something or even writing
a short story, all depending on what the student’s interest is in. “We have several students who want to play a new instrument,” Stewart said, “we have students writing books, [and] another big category a lot of kids are doing is exercise and health.” As a Nine Honors Biology teacher for the afternoon section, Jayma George has students with already finished projects. “One of my favorites projects was a conservation one. We had a student challenge herself to produce as little waste as possible for a month,” George said. George also said that “another really good one, was we had two students actually end up working together, and they wrote and produced their own song, kind of like a pop rock.” George said that she believed that the project had an impact on some of the students, but others did not buy the whole concept, or wanted a clearer rubric, as the project itself is very self-guided. She adamantly wants to pursue it next year, and she is “already trying to work on ways to make it better.” As the morning Honors section has just begun their Genius Hour journey, only time will tell to whether the newly-created project becomes a success for them as well.
PHOTO COURTESY OF TED DINTERSMITH
What Schools Could Be, by Ted Dintersmith, highlights how intrinsic motivation is important when it comes to learning. This was a book that inspired the Nine Honors teacher Lisa Brokamp, spurring the new Genius Hour project.
COVID-19 taking the world by storm
SHIV MALHOTRA / CHATTERBOX
SENIORS Alan Zhang and Meoshea Britt stand alongside Justin Chan, ‘22, and Sanjay Luckwitz, ‘21, while waiting for the next train on the Green Line light rail. The students wore face masks while traveling in Boston, Mass. to minimize the chances of them contracting the Wuhan Coronavirus. Shiv Malhotra, ‘20 to Chinese authorities. Asian country seeing multiple China has taken immedi- confirmed cases of the virus, as Usually, during the winter ate action against the disease, well as a couple of cases in several months, Americans hunker down quarantining multiple cities and European countries, and 12 cases against influenza, also known as millions of people, in an effort in the United States itself. the flu. However, in 2020 there to mitigate the spread of the Ohio has had several suspiwas an even more concerning outbreak. China has also been cions of the disease, most noworldwide epidemic: novel coro- in the works of constructing a tably by two Miami University navirus (2019-nCoV). thousand bed hospital facility for students who recently traveled to More commonly known as patients with the disease, as there China. One of the students exthe Wuhan Coronavirus, the dis- have been reportedly a dearth emplified common symptoms of ease has been a focal point for of healthcare spaces for infected the Wuhan Coronavirus. With the global health community citizens. prompt tests, the students were recently, infecting more than The coronavirus has spread shown to not have the disease, 40,000 Chinese citizens, with a to many countries around the and were quarantined during the death toll of over 900 according world, with almost every West testing process.
During this time, Miami University additionally postponed two basketball games and handed out face masks in response to the potential threat, as they assumed the worst and took every precaution possible. There hasn’t been a definitive source of the Wuhan Coronavirus or even knowledge of how contagious the disease is according to the United States Center for Disease Control (CDC). The CDC released a statement to the American public that the Wuhan Coronavirus “probably originally emerged from an animal source but now seems to be spreading from person-to-person. It’s important to note that person-to-person spread can happen on a continuum. Some viruses are highly contagious (like measles), while other viruses are less so. At this time, it’s unclear how easily or sustainably this virus is spreading between people.” The CDC has additionally reported that symptoms such as “mild to severe respiratory illness with fever, cough, and difficulty breathing,” have been common in confirmed patients. These are all symptoms associated with influenza, causing even more panic as the disease spreads around the world. WHHS students have even started to take precautions against the Wuhan Coronavirus. Many students of the Model United Na-
tions (MUN) Team, who traveled to Boston to attend the Harvard MUN Conference, chose to wear facemasks in public settings to avoid any potential contact with the disease. Justin Chan, ‘22, was among the students who wore a facemask on the arriving and returning flights to the conference. “While the threat is low, the threat is still there and it’s better to be safe than sorry. People from all over the world travel through the airports we went through, and who knows where they have been or who they have been in contact with,” Chan said. SENIOR Alan Zhang was another student who decided to wear a facemask. “Since we were going to a conference with many international students in attendance, I wanted to minimize any possible risk, even if it seemed silly. My fears seemed to be confirmed because, when we were there, a coronavirus case was reported in Boston,” Zhang said. As there are many mysteries still left unsolved surrounding the Wuhan Coronavirus, from how contagious it is to a cure for the disease, the world has been scrambling to solve and prevent any further outbreak of the disease. At this point in time, the only thing people can do is be careful, hygienic and conscientious of their surroundings.
WHHSCBOX.COM
SPORTS
CINCINNATI, OHIO
FEBRUARY 19, 2020
PAGE 5
SECTION EDITOR: DREW HART
Burgin soars high as a Lady Eagle
DREW HART / CHATTERBOX
SENIOR Darian Burgin helps up teammate, Sydney Sheppard, during their game against Turpin. The Lady Eagles defeated the Spartans 66-20, Burgin had four blocks and four assists. Bobby Keegan, ‘22 For several years now, the girl’s basketball team at WHHS has been one of the school’s most successful teams. In both 2018 and 2019, the Lady Eagles finished the season at 14-0 and at the top of the ECC conference. This year, the team sits in second place at 12-2 with all the confidence that they need to fight to the top for their fourth straight ECC championship.
At the forefront of that fight will be one of the girls top scorers, SENIOR Darian Burgin. Burgin has been playing basketball for WHHS since seventh grade, and after many years of hard work and determination, she has emerged as one of the league’s top scorers and all around athletes for the last three years on varsity. “The biggest struggle honestly was allowing myself, in my earlier years, to know in my heart I could run the show, or be a big time player for my team and
I felt as if I could play a bigger role but letting the older ones
thing,” SENIOR Darian Burgin said about her biggest struggle getting to where she is now. Burgin is currently the second leading scorer on the Lady Eagles, behind SENIOR Sean KellyDarks who leads in the ECC with 18.9 points per game (PPG). Burgin averages 18 PPG along with 2.3 assists per game (APG) and 3.7 rebounds per game (RPG). Burgin is not only a top scorer on the team but is also a great teammate. “She’s taught me how to be a better leader and player. She deserves everything that comes her way. I’ve never seen her give up, she works so hard which inspires others,” Kaycie Badylak ‘22 said about her relationship with Burgin. Earlier this fall, Burgin committed to play Division 1 basketball at Alabama A&M. “The most defining mo-
“Just keep working on your game and never lose your confidence. Embrace your self doubt and let it put fire in you to do better, buy in and let the time fulfill its course.” - SENIOR Darian Burgin play how they did and telling myself to just to keep working and wait for my time to do my
ment [of my basketball career] is me signing my letter of intent to play Division I basket-
Swimming to success
COURTESY OF RON REBLANDO
Barry Bates, ‘21, swims butterfly at a meet at WHHS. Bates honed the skill at practice. “Swimming really depends on how much the swimmer wants to get out of practices ... but all comes together with the team in the end too,” Sakura Adachi, ‘23, said. Kate Steins, ‘23
Every winter, WHHS swimming strives to train at the highest level possible to increase their athletes’ ability to advance to new heights. The team trains six days a week, each practice usually following the format of a warmup set, a preset or drill set, a main set, and a warmdown set. One day a week, they have dry land, when they condition out of the water, at 6 a.m. Swimming is a physically challenging sport, but the mental strain is also present. “The hardest part about swimming is trying to get in the right mindset before my races. It is physically challenging, but also
when you are not having the best races, it’s hard to try to stay positive for your next race which might be in a couple of minutes,” Sakura Adachi, ‘23, said. SENIOR Noah Stafford also thinks that motivation is the most difficult component of the sport. Stafford alludes to the fact that although he is technically on a team, unlike other sports, his individual performance is not completely dependent on the team’s winnings. Therefore, the challenge lies within his own self-motivation. “You’ve got to find a way to force yourself to keep going, keep practicing, keep improving,” Stafford said.
Stafford, however, also takes into account the physical pain swimming causes. He uses that
“Getting cheered for, is one of the best feelings at a meet, so I think everyone needs to experience that,” Adachi said. Stafford additionally points out that “the spirit of the team as a whole has an undeniable impact on swims and motivation.” He notes that having the same teammates who he suffered with in practice screaming beside him at meets makes a huge difference on effort and motivation. SENIOR Audrey Warren’s “passion grows for the sport when the team shows passion for it as well.” As a SENIOR, Warren speaks from experience. She enjoys leading team cheers, and her favorite part about swimming is having friends all around her. Simultaneously to strenuous practices, WHHS teachers pack on loads of homework. Many swimmers speak for all student athletes
“You’ve got to find a way to force yourself to keep going, keep practicing, keep improving,” - SENIOR Noah Stafford as an incentive to continue swimming every year, and he believes pain builds character. Many swimmers have the challenging task of trying to accomplish their individual goals while contributing their best effort to relays or just cheering for their team in general.
when they struggle to balance activities, school and sleep. Stafford productively uses his study hall to get homework out of the way before practice so it does not interfere with his sleep which is “essential for good swims.” Like other athletics, setting goals is vital to improvement.
ball for free,” Burgin said. “To be a female athlete in this school is a win-lose situation. It’s like you have those people who know about you and the team, and they really support us, but then there’s that larger portion who doesn’t care at all... We’re really good and I feel as if we deserve at least more recognition, if not an equal amount of love,” Burgin said. As Burgin said, we need more support for our female sports teams at WHHS because our girls’ basketball team has been by far one of WHHS’ best teams over the last few years. “The advice I would give any younger female athletes is... if it’s not going your way right now, it will be your way before it’s over. Just keep working on your game and never lose your confidence. Embrace your self doubt and let it put fire in you to do better, buy in and let the time fulfill its course. My senior year has been my best year here on the court, compare my stats from every year until this one and you’ll see what i’m talking about. Everybody’s time comes” Burgin said. “Make sure y’all support us in the tourney, we have big dreams and goals. A ring in the chasing,” Burgin said.
Goals of WHHS swimmers range from dropping one second off an event for Warren to swimming at the collegiate level for Stanfordbound SENIOR Aaron Sequeira. For Phoebe Wright, ’22, her goals are to make high school states again, and to make finals at states. Wright has been swimming since the age of five and she currently holds several school records. Many student swimmers at WHHS have been swimming from a very young age. For Adachi, her love for the pool was sparked at the age of eight. Adachi began to swim competitively at age ten, and has continued ever since. She recently suffered a knee injury, but after surgery, she continues swimming merely because she enjoys the sport and being surrounded by great team mates. Adachi swims year round with the Cincinnati Marlins. Many swimmers take the season seriously, but that is not to say there is no room for fun. They have had several premeet events at the school, like a movie night and dinner. The team had six WHHS dual meets, the Southwest Classics meet, which is the biggest high school meet in the country, and ECC Swim Championships. The next step for the team is Sectionals, within which the top 32 swimmers in Southwest Ohio advance to Districts. The top 24 swimmers in Districts go to the States. The team looks forward to continuing their season.
FEATURES
FEBRUARY 19, 2020
PAGE 6
WHHSCBOX.COM
SECTION EDITOR: SHIV MALHOTRA
CINCINNATI, OHIO
Behind the Walnut Woods endeavor Azariah Cuff, ‘23
No one really knows what making a lasting impact truly means. An action recognized as a charity or program to help others creates a buzz for a little while, but as far as a long-term impact, a solution is often overlooked or simply unheard of. The 10-acre patch of land between Victory Parkway and WHHS had been plagued with trash and neglected by the community for
cess was put into full throttle. “The Walnut Woods project is one that will greatly benefit our community. It promotes native tree growth and opens opportunities to the faculty and the students of WHHS…We are currently on our third generation of trees and the last two years have been really successful in growing, nurturing and transferring them,” the president of Green Club, SENIOR Hemmi Song, said. Allie Mondini, an advisor for the Bio-Eco Club, has been one of the overseers of the project and had nothing but positive things to say about its benefits to the WHHS community. “I see it as an intersection between better planet conservation, education, and a bridge between WHHS and the community,” Mondini said. According to the Victory Parkway Park Restoration and Utilization proposal, the conservation of the Walnut Woods involves the removal of invasive species such as
honeysuckle, increasing the biodiversity of native plant species and improving the surface water runoff situation at the bottom of the basin. The educational part of the project includes providing a safe space for schools across Walnut Hills and Evanston to have an accessible area for many classes, such as science and art, to interact with the curriculum in a fun and environmental way. This is especially important considering many urban schools do not have the opportunity to interact with a large natural area. Timothy Agnello, a science teacher at WHHS, as well as a professional geologist, has other ideas on how to utilize the space. He’s hoping to use the Walnut Woods for topographic mapwork and a model for his classes. The model being a full-fledged landslide. “I’ve been seeing water seeping out the bottom, which usually signifies the base of a landslide,” Agnello said. The Bio-Eco and Green Club’s collaboration on the woods project was impressive and essential to the project’s success. The Green Club’s focus is solely on cultivating, while
reviews, it was not favored nearly as much as most of its competition, films like BlacKkKlansman and Roma. Many read Green Book to be a feel-good, “sorry about racism” film that was too safe and easy to deserve the Academy’s highest honor. The Nominations The 2020 Oscars were no different. Racism again returned to the forefront. Cynthia Erivo, for her role in Harriet, was the only woman of color nominated in the acting categories. Lupita Nyong’o for Us, Eddie Murphy for Dolemite is My Name and Awkwafina and Shuzhen Zhao for The Farewell were all argued to be deserving and diverse choices but were snubbed. Taron Egerton for Rocketman, Robert de Niro for The Irishman and Adam Sandler for Uncut Gems were all snubbed in many’s eyes as well. It was also a disappointing year for women behind the camera, as the Best Director category was exclusively populated by men, with the most confusing nomination being Todd Phillips for Joker. Greta Gerwig for Little Women and Lulu Wang for The Farewell were both top choices to receive Phillips’s nomination, but the Academy decided to follow its tradition of a male dominated directorial race, with only five women having ever been nominated for the award. However, Gerwig was acknowledged for her screenplay. This year’s nominations skewed towards big studio films, with independent movies being largely forgotten. This has been an ongoing trend at the Oscars. Bong Joon Ho’s Parasite was the only indie film to truly get any recognition. Netflix struck big with its films Marriage Story, The Irishman and The Two Popes receiving attention across the board. The 24 nominations Netiflix received, more than any other studio, signal Hollywood’s continuing acceptance of
the streaming service. Netflix has been gaining more and more nominations since 2017, after years of the Academy doubting its legitimacy. The Host 2020 was the second year in a row that the Oscars went hostless in an attempt to shorten the runtime and bring back viewers after 2018’s ceremony was the lowest viewed Academy Awards of the 21st century. Going without a host worked in 2019, bringing viewership up to 29.6 million after the previous year’s disappointing 26.5 million. This plan seemed to backfire this year, though, as the Oscars topped their 2018 record and had their lowest viewer count of all time with 23.6 million viewers. The ceremony sped by this year, stopping only for the usual unnecessary, painful musical performances (see Eminem and Utkarsh Ambudkar) and the overly-long, awkward banter between presenters. The Winners It was a huge night for Parasite and Bong Joon-Ho; he took home the awards for Best Original Screenplay, Best International Film, Best Director and Best Picture. The Best Director and Best Picture awards came as a surprise as Sam Mendes and 1917 were highly favored, among others. Parasite is the first foreign language film to win Best Picture. Taika Watiti won Best Adapted Screenplay for Jojo Rabbit and Roger Deakins was awarded Best Cinematography for 1917. Laura Dern and Brad Pitt took home the Oscars for Best Supporting Actress and Actor, respectively. Joaquin Phoenix accepted the golden statue for Best Actor with a politically charged speech on cancel culture and our treatment of animals, capping it off with a touching tribute to his late brother, River. Phoenix had a very successful awards season for his work in Jok-
“The Walnut Woods project is one that will greatly benefit our community,” - SENIOR Hemmi Song years. It remained that way until someone in the community decided to make a change. A small group of dedicated students, and some supportive parents, are stepping up. Spawned by a collaboration with Green Club and Bio-Eco Club, the restoration of the Victory Parkway Park or the “Walnut Woods” project has been a plan for about three years. This year, the cultivating pro-
PHOTO COURTESY OF RYAN HELTON
Students in the Green Club come and cultivate the trees from “seeds to sprouts” every Wednesday from 2:35 to 3:30. Volunteer days for the woods project itself are on Saturdays. Bio-Eco’s focus is conservation, making them the obvious candidate for taking on the woods project in the spring. “Because the Green Club can’t be out in the greenhouse during the winter season, they grow native trees to be planted in the woods area… and when it’s time for Green Club to grow the vegetable gardens,
they’ll focus on that, while my BioEco kids will keep maintaining the trees,” Mondini said. The project is sponsored by Cincinnati Parks and Cincinnati Public Schools, which allows for long term goals such as building an educational day-care program and an outdoor amphitheater to be accomplished.
er, winning the same award at the BAFTAs, the Golden Globes and the Screen Actors Guild Awards. He was a sure bet after his SAG win; the winner of that award went on to win the Academy Award the last nine out of ten years. A surprising choice came in the Best Actress category with Renée Zellweger winning for Judy. Scarlett Johannson seemed to be the lead choice going into the night, but Zellweger came out ahead with her turn as Judy Garland, the star of The Wizard of Oz, during the last year of the actress’s life. Zellweger also won the BAFTA, Golden Globe, and SAG Best Actress award this year. Although the nominations were full of controversy, the 2020 Oscars ceremony went without any true blunders - no envelopes were mixed up this year. The crowd seemed to be joyous for every victor. It was a celebration of the best movies of 2019 instead of the head-to-head competition it has been in past years. In fact, when the lights dimmed and cut Parasite’s Best Picture speeches short, the c r o w d ’ s c h a n t s brought them back on, giving Parasite the last word that it deserved.
We surveyed both the student body and our staff to see what our predictions were prior to the awards. Out of 142 student responses, these were the results:
Oscars 2020: The controversies and big winners Matthew Proietti, ‘20
The History Every year since 2016, the year where all 20 nominees in the acting categories were white and #OscarsSoWhite was trending across social media, the controversies surrounding the Academy Awards have not slowed down. Although a nonissue compared to institutionalized racism, the big news out of the 2017 ceremony was the infamous La La Land - Moonlight Best Picture mistake. This flub lessened the impact of an otherwise out-of-the-ordinary pick for Hollywood that was a huge step forward for people of color and the LGBTQ community’s representation at the Oscars. In 2018, Hollywood’s biggest night focused on Hollywood’s biggest scandal. The exposure of years of sexual harassment and the silencing of its victims cast a dark shadow over the night, but the attendees were ready to respond. The #MeToo movement was in full force at the awards, promising that changes will come: no one will be able to hide behind their fame or power to get away with sexual misconduct anymore, and victims’ voices will be heard. The drama at the 2019 Academy Awards was more centered on the films themselves rather than any social issues within the industry. Bohemian Rhapsody won both sound categories and the Best Editing award, along with its star, Rami Malek, taking home the Oscar for Best Actor. The public was quick to point out that neither the sound nor the editing in the movie were particularly great, and it appeared as if the Academy had awarded the easy and popular choice nominee. The bigger debate, though, concerned Green Book, the best movie of 2019 according to the Academy. This pick came out of left field. Although it received generally positive
PHOTO COURTESY OF KON-TIKI MUSEUM
Best Supporting Actor: WHHS’s Prediction: Tom Hanks The Chatterbox’s Prediction: Tom Hanks The Winner: Brad Pitt Best Supporting Actress: WHHS’s Prediction: Florence Pugh The Chatterbox’s Prediction: Florence Pugh The Winner: Laura Dern Best Actor: WHHS’s Prediction: Joaquin Phoenix The Chatterbox’s Prediction: Joaquin Phoenix The Winner: Joaquin Phoenix Best Actress: WHHS’s Prediction: Saoirse Ronan The Chatterbox’s Prediction: Saoirse Ronan The Winner: Renée Zellweger Best Picture: WHHS’s Prediction: Joker The Chatterbox’s Prediction: TIE - Joker and Parasite The Winner: Parasite
WHHSCBOX.COM
STYLE AND CULTURE
CINCINNATI, OHIO
SENIOR Kristen Cathey’s take on the Euphoria makeup trend.
Sex, drugs, friendships and relationships follow people throughout their teen years. A new HBO show, Euphoria, highlights these topics. The creators of the show don’t hold back on dealing with the issues of trauma and identity. The show focuses on how teens deal with these struggles along with showcasing their journey of self-appreciation and love. Makeup is, and has always been, a way to express yourself. It is not only meant to be seen, it is also to be felt. Euphoria uses extravagant looks and styles to establish the personalities of each character. Former pageant princess, Maddy, played by Alexa Demie, synchronizes each of her outfits from head to toe. From makeup and hair, to clothes, nails and shoes, you can bet that Maddy will look fresh off the runway. High school isn’t just for learning, it is her platform, a stage to shine on. Her gems and sleek eyeliner seemingly made to cut are reflective of who she is. Maddy does not only shine with beauty, but also in sex. She studies pornography as an art form. Her makeup is contemplative of the fierceness she hopes to portray in both bed and life. Maddy is rarely seen without makeup in the show, so in episode 5 when she is
PAGE 7
SECTION EDITOR: CHYNA SMITH
Euphoria lashes out
Elizabeth Ramos, ‘20
FEBRUARY 19, 2020
shown without it, it is monumental. Maddy is painted as this character who is composed. With her outfits and style, she is seemingly indestructible. Her makeup is a mask, and when she takes it off, the viewers are able to see another side of her, one that is raw and unaltered. “Just because she looks the most together doesn’t mean she is. Showing her completely broken down without her wall of beauty she puts up was really important in conveying the emotional truths that are Maddy and what make her as equally deep, complex, and relatable as the other characters,” head makeup artist of the show, Doniella Davy, said. With daring and intrepid looks, Euphoria has sparked a new trend in makeup artists everywhere. The show, Euphoria, created by Sam Levinson, is about teens, but more importantly, self expression. He wanted to introduce a new type of look, one never before seen on television, that pushed the bounds of typical makeup norms. Levinson even watches YouTube beauty tutorials and knows all of the makeup terminology. From gems on eyebrows to glitter glue under the eyes and bright neons on the lid, the Euphoria trend has taken the makeup community by storm. The best thing about it? In the show, these outlandish looks are considered normal. No one would
New show encourages creativity, empowers teens with bold makeup looks
PHOTO COURTESY OF KRISTEN CATHEY
make a comment about the vivid rainbow of colors surrounding the eye, or their bejeweled faces. Davy not only does the looks on the actors, but wears the unique makeup herself. Davy says she almost always receives comments about her colored face art on a daily basis, usually asking her if she is attending a festival. She notes that it has gotten much easier to feel comfortable wearing these idiosyncratic looks, and that it feels true to who she is. “I’ve gotten used to the shock value my makeup tends to have because I’m presenting myself to the world in a way that feels authentic to myself. I don’t need anyone’s approval,” Davy said. Teens are continuously switching up their look, which is clearly demonstrated in Euphoria’s characters. They are constantly switching up their style from day to day, and that’s the beauty of freedom of expression in the show that attracts teens. Euphoria makeup is all about experimentation and using beauty to destroy barriers. “Makeup is one of the main ways I can express myself. It’s something that I have been practicing for a long time, and the introduction of this new Euphoria trend has really given me a more creative platform. It is the perfect display of my femininity,” SENIOR Kristen Cathey said.
PHOTO COURTESY OF CHARLOTTE NOE
“What the Euphoria style of makeup means to me is when I do it and wear it is that there are no boundaries to where your creativity can take you,” Charlotte Noe, ‘21, said.
PHOTO COURTESY OF LIV SCHADLER
“I do Euphoria makeup to expand my horizons on what I can really do with makeup, and to relax and make something uniquely beautiful that will make me proud of myself and hopefully inspire others,” Liv Schadler, ’21 s said.
Facing threats, NikkieTutorials comes out
PHOENIX BRUMM / CHATTERBOX
The drawing of Nikkie de Jager’s makeup look is inspired by her 2016 Pride look. Phoenix Brumm, ‘23 LGBTQIA+ pride and coming out is always a complicated subject. With the amount of hate the community faces, many people feel it is
safer to stay closeted. Some people, however, choose to take a stand, and come out and be proud of their identities. On Jan. 13, Nikkie de Jager of beauty YouTube channel NikkieTutorials,
came out as a transgender woman on YouTube and took her stand on pride. “I was born in the wrong body, which means that I am transgender,” de Jager said proudly. Growing up, de Jager played with
stereotypical “girly” toys, such as dolls, and fondly recalled she “did everything with nail polish, with hairbrushes, with fake hair, with Barbie dolls- like all of me was girly.” De Jager’s mother consistently supported her gender identity and expression, as well as de Jager’s immediate family and her fiance, who also supports her identity. De Jager was relieved to come out to the world, saying it “feels good to finally do it, it is time to let go and be truly free.” However, de Jager rebelled by coming out in one more way as well. She had been blackmailed with the information of her past, and the people or person behind this threatened to tell the press. De Jager insulted the blackmailer(s), calling their actions, “evil”, “vile” and “gross.” She then stated she wasn’t scared for people to know her truth, adding “so to the people who tried to blackmail me and though they
couldn’t really. This one’s for you,” while flipping off the camera. People have been talking about this worldwide, and our student body has also discussed it. Mimi Montefiore, ‘21, co-president of WHHS’ Gender/Sexuality Alliance club, shared their thoughts. “I think it was incredibly brave. She admitted that she was being blackmailed and that’s what ultimately forced her to come out before she was ready, and that’s really sad,” Montefiore said. “However, she’s been seen as one of the most beautiful and talented women on the internet and she gave a lot of plus size women confidence and now I’m sure she’ll continue to do that for trans women. “Ultimately I’m glad she came out, but I’m sad that she had to come out for the reason that she did instead of truly being ready to share her story,” Montefiore said.
FEBRUARY 19, 2020
PAGE 8
ARCADE
SECTION EDITOR: CHLOE SMITH
The Flower Shop
WHHSCBOX.COM
CINCINNATI, OHIO
Illustrated by: Sofia Leigh
Valentine’s Day Perspective “I never believed in love at first sight. I thought it was a sappy, silly and unreasonable philosophy. But that was before August 14, 2013. This was my first day on the job at Riverview East Academy, and my first day as a teacher. I was frantically getting ready for my first bell chasing down some papers, when I first saw her. Ms. Reilly was walking down the hallway to her classroom. I had never seen such a beautiful woman in my whole life. When she got closer to my room, I got so nervous I ran back in. I was short of breath, and I can still
remember my initial thought- ‘I’m going to marry that woman!’ I didn’t even know her name, but it was for sure love at first sight. It took a while, but eventually I won over Ms. Reilly’s heart. We’ve been happily married for three-and-half years with a beautiful daughter and one more on the way in June! I’ve never actually told Ms. Reilly about the first time I saw her that day. . . but I still vividly remember it. It is a memory that I cherish just as much as I cherish her!” -David Lewis, Science Teacher
PHOTO COURTESY OF DAVID LEWIS
NUT LIBS
I had never (verb) ________ such a (adjective)________ (noun)________. It was the most (adjective)________ thing I had ever seen. I started to (verb)________ it while (-ing verb)________ and suddenly it started to (verb)________. I gave it (noun)________ then I realized it’s (adjective)________. We (verb, past tense)________ to a (noun)________ down the street called (noun)________. We then decided to go see (noun)________ at the new (noun)________. It had been a (adjective)________ day but we were both ready to (verb)________ back to our own homes. I (verb, past tense)________ it back to its (noun)________ then (-ing verb)________ goodbye I (past tense verb)________ home. I will always (verb)________ today as the day that me and that (adjective)________ (noun)________ met. Did you like these articles? Go to our website <whhscbox.com> for more content like..... “Remembering Kobe’s Legendary Mentality,” “The Importance Of A Classical Education,” “The Five Best Movies of 2019,” “Basketball Hype Video,” and other Valentine’s Day Perspectives.